Akron takes on VCU in second round of NCAA Tournament

Mar 20, 2013 - 4:22 PM
Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - The always intriguing 12-5 matchup in the
South Region of the NCAA Tournament takes place at the Palace of Auburn Hills
on Thursday night, as the fifth-seeded Virginia Commonwealth Rams take on the
12th-seeded Akron Zips in second-round action.

The winner of this bout will advance to the third round to play the survivor
of the No. 4 seed Michigan/No. 13 seed South Dakota State matchup on Saturday.

Akron's (26-6) stellar season was highlighted by a 19-game win streak that
lasted from mid-December through the end of February. After earning a double-
bye in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, it went on to defeat Kent State
(62-59) and Ohio University (65-46) en route to the tournament title and the
automatic bid to the Big Dance. The Zips had previously qualified for the
tournament in 1986, 2009 and 2011, but they experienced first-round exits each
time.

Even though VCU lost the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament championship game
to Saint Louis, 62-56, it still had a fantastic campaign in its first season
in its new conference after coming over from the Colonial Athletic
Association, going 26-8 overall (12-4 A-10), which included victories over
tournament-bound teams Florida Gulf Coast, Memphis, Belmont, Western Kentucky
and Butler. The Rams have been one of the most successful NCAA Tournament
teams in recent years, making the field five times since 2007, including an
improbable Final Four run in 2009 as an 11 seed.

VCU head coach Shaka Smart spent three seasons as an assistant at Akron from
2003-06, with two of those campaigns coming under Zips' current head coach
Keith Dambrot.

VCU has swept Akron in six previous meetings, most recently winning on the
road on Dec. 29, 2011, 76-75, in overtime.

The Zips boasted one of the top scoring offenses in the MAC this season,
netting 72.7 ppg on nearly 46 percent efficiency from the field, and they were
no slouches at the defensive end either, allowing a mere 62.0 ppg. The
catalyst at both ends of the floor is 7-0 center Zeke Marshall, who not only
pours in 13.0 ppg and grabs 7.1 rpg, but ranks fourth in the nation in both
field goal percentage (.654) and blocks (3.7 bpg). Demetrius Treadwell is also
solid in the paint, tallying 11.4 ppg and 7.9 rpg. Alex Abreu (10.3 ppg, 6.0
apg) was arguably the top point guard in the MAC before being suspended
earlier this month. In his absence, Nick Harney (9.7 ppg) has been called upon
to shoulder more of the scoring load.

In a wide-open A-10, VCU stood above the rest, ranking first in scoring
offense with 77.3 ppg on nearly 45 percent shooting from the field, and it
relies heavily on the 3-point shot, making 270 of them (7.9 per game) at a
35.2 percent clip. Treveon Graham leads the way with 15.5 ppg to go with 6.0
rpg. Juvonte Reddic, the only true forward in the Rams' starting five, is the
anchor down low with 14.4 ppg on 56.1 percent from the field, and rounding out
his stat sheet with 8.3 rpg, 1.4 spg and 0.9 rpg. Troy Daniels (12.1 ppg) is
one of the busiest 3-point shooters in the nation, draining 117-of-288 from
long distance (.406), while Rob Bradenberg rounds out the double-digit scorer
with 10.4 ppg. Getting the ball in the hands of these shooters is Darius
Theus, who's dished out 161 assists (4.9 pg) compared to just 62 turnovers
while also logging 2.5 spg. In addition to its potent offense, VCU also ranks
first in the nation with an incredible +8.0 turnover margin.